Love For Hire (8 page)

Priorities, it was all about priorities!

“I can’t wait, I want to be inside so badly. You’re
mine
,” Matt grumbled, and Jayden smiled.

“Go for it, then,” he said, meaning every word. He was used to some rough play; he wasn’t going to break if he wasn’t stretched fully, and he figured a little pain might even spice things up a bit.

“Don’t want to hurt you, though,” Matt kept on mumbling, and how was this man even still coherent enough to formulate all those sentences?

Jayden flexed his muscles, clenching around the two fingers currently stretching him, rubbing along his channel, and when a third one entered him, he started pushing back, fucking himself on Matt’s fingers.

“Ahhhh!” he screamed when Matt found his sweet spot, fingertips ghosting over it again and again, making him see stars.

The world started to go white, and when the fingers left him, he felt bereft. That wasn’t right; he was supposed to be filled, and the keening sound escaping his lips was one of protest.

He didn’t have to wait long, though; Matt lined himself up, and when Jayden felt the tip of the man’s cock nudging at his entrance, he pushed back, not willing to wait any longer.

Matt grunted, taken by surprise, but Jayden was experienced, and he managed to wiggle himself onto Matt’s cock before the man could tell him to slow down.

Once the shaft was buried all the way inside, Jayden let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he had been holding. He felt almost stretched to his limits, his tight hole clenching around Matt’s not-so-small cock, and when strong fingers grabbed his hips, he slumped backward into Matt’s body.

“Yes, yes,” he repeated over and over again once Matt started thrusting forward, and he matched his lover’s speed, pushing back against him. He clenched and unclenched his ass as often as he could, knowing it must feel like heaven for Matt to have Jayden’s tight channel close in even further.

Matt had finally lost all ability of speech, because there were no more sentences coming from the man; instead, there were grunts and groans (and a growl?), and Jayden couldn’t stop smiling. His eyes were closed, his body tuned in to the cock shoving in and out, his nerve endings flaring to life.

His body was so sensitive; even the brush of air over his naked arms and legs felt like someone was caressing him, and when he was close, he shouted a warning. At least he thought he did, but he couldn’t be sure, and when his balls tightened and the all-too-familiar fluttery feeling in his stomach turned into a tsunami, his own cock erupted into white spurts, streaking his stomach and the bedspread.

Matt wasn’t done yet, so while Jayden’s body shuddered and twitched as his ass clenched even tighter than before, Matt kept on going, pounding away. From the way Matt’s hands were gripping his hips, Jayden knew there would be bruises tomorrow morning, but he found he didn’t really care one way or the other.

When Matt came, Jayden was already close to passing out. The world seemed so far removed. He felt Matt’s body shuddering; there was one more deep thrust followed by a growl more resembling a wild animal’s than a man’s, and then there was nothing else to be heard apart from harsh breathing. When the cock was removed from his ass, Jayden flinched and rolled onto his stomach.

He had managed to brush off most of the drying flakes of come, so he figured he would be good until the morning as long as he stayed out of the wet spot.

He heard Matt mumble, and then a warm body settled in beside him, pulling him close but allowing him to lie on his stomach.

Jayden liked cuddling, but right now, he was too sensitive to stand touching; thankfully, Matt must have felt the same. It was nice, though, to know the man was close, and he was looking forward to rolling over in the night and snuggling up to him.

His breathing evened out and just before he drifted into a deep sleep. Matt’s hot breath ghosted over his ear as he mumbled, “Couldn’t do this before. Wouldn’t have been right. Had to take care of something….”

Could he be any more vague?

There might have been more words said, but Jayden no longer heard them.

Chapter Five

Rriiiiinnnngggggg
.

The loud, shrill sound of a cell phone going off close to Jayden’s head was nearly enough to give him a coronary. He flailed around, arms and legs twitching uncontrollably as his dream-heavy mind raced to get up to speed. Eventually, the sound stopped.

Jayden breathed a sigh of relief, flopping back under the covers, eyes closing again.

Beside him, Matt was shifting, getting up. “You’re here?” he whispered into the phone, but regardless of how quiet he tried to be, the edge in his tone was still more than obvious.

“Give me a few moments, I’ll come down,” he barked into the phone, and the mattress bounced a little bit when Matt’s weight was removed.

Jayden heard the shuffling of clothes, and then the streaming sunlight was obstructed by Matt crouching down next to where Jayden’s head was resting.

He slowly opened his eyes, blinking away his sleep to find his lover looking down at him. There was a slow, lazy smile playing across his face, but there was also a distance in his look that sent chills down Jayden’s spine. He offered up a weak smile in return, translating the message without needing any words.
Last night was great, but now I want you out of my bed.

He swallowed hard, reality crashing around him once more. For a few blissful hours, he had forgotten about the arrangement, basking in the afterglow, but now it was time to plant his feet firmly on the ground once more. A sigh escaped his lips before he could prevent it, though.

 “Jayden?” Matt quietly said his name, and Jayden did his best to focus on him, to give him all of his attention.

“Please come down for breakfast when you are ready.” It sounded like a request, like an invitation of sorts, but Jayden wasn’t fooled. Matt usually left him alone in the mornings, and if the man was asking for his presence at breakfast, then he damn well expected Jayden to jump out of bed and get ready.

How was it possible for Matt to look all composed and put together even though he was wearing the same clothes he had on last night? He must have some wicked skills!

Jayden self-consciously raised a hand to brush hair out of his face, because he was sure he looked just as frazzled as he felt. “Just give me a few minutes.” His voice sounded hoarse, thick with sleep, even to his own ears, and he closed his eyes briefly, trying to find the energy to get up. It wasn’t ridiculously early by any standard, but it was still way too early for Jayden to be awake.

 When Jayden felt ready to get up, Matt was already gone, and the room seemed somewhat empty without his presence. He collected his clothes from last night, sniffed them, and decided they didn’t need to be washed yet. He then decided to have a quick shower, because nothing cleared his head better than sticking his head under semi-cold water. Normally he liked his comforts, but when all else failed, drastic measures had to be taken for him to wake up fully. And something told him that he couldn’t afford to be anything less than awake when he met up with Matt.

He usually liked to linger in the shower, but today he broke his own record. He was in and out within a few minutes, and got dressed just as quickly in some faded jeans, boots, and a simple shirt.

He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to tame it, but of course, nothing worked. Eventually he decided he was ready to face the world. Curiosity nibbled at him, his thoughts racing ahead, leaving him behind.

Who had Matt rushed off to meet? And why had Matt demanded his presence?

They usually never spent the mornings together, so why was Matt now breaking with habit?

By now Jayden could navigate his way to the parlor in his sleep, and long before he reached the doors, he could hear hearty laughter coming from the other side.

Matt…
laughing
.

The man was usually more prone to disapproving facial expressions, and now he was roaring with laughter?

Jayden’s heart constricted as he felt a stab of pain before rolling his eyes at himself. Of course Matt had friends; he was allowed to laugh, and there was no logical reason for Jayden to feel hurt or upset because for once Matt wasn’t smiling at him.

Still, why hadn’t he managed to get Matt to make those sounds?

He couldn’t possibly be jealous, right? Was the green-eyed monster rearing its head?

Dread made him stop, because that couldn’t be right. He was a professional. He might not take pride in what he did, but he knew better than to let real feelings get associated with a customer. And yet, Jayden couldn’t deny any longer that he did have feelings for a certain blond.

This was a disaster!

He didn’t trust easily for a reason. He couldn’t let Matt past his defenses because he would surely trample all over him.

The worst part was that he couldn’t even blame Matt for any of it. Matt had been nothing but honest and upfront about their relationship, and at no point in time had he proclaimed Jayden was or could be anything more than a fake boyfriend.

No, this was all on him, but unfortunately, knowing it didn’t make him feel any better at all.

He rubbed tiredly at his forehead, resigning himself to future heartache. Maybe he was a glutton for punishment; maybe his father had been right all along when he had tried to beat some sense into him. Maybe Jayden really was too stupid to live.

With the resolution not to let his emotions get the better of him, he finally pushed the doors open, entering the parlor. To say his nerves were fluttering like a nest of crazy birds would’ve been an understatement.

The two men were sitting close together with plates of breakfast before them. Their bodies were angled toward each other, giving away a familiarity that could only be achieved with time.

The newcomer had messy brown hair and what could only be called a smiling face. There were people in the world who walked around with a perpetual frown, and then there were those who always seemed to smile. This man seemed to belong to the latter group.

Jayden’s eyes ran appreciatively over the bulkier frame of Matt’s friend. He liked what he saw. Maybe it was true, he mused. Pretty people tended to stick together. The silly thought almost had him giggling.

“Jay!” Matt called out, a smile on his face. “This is Scott.”

Jayden returned the smile and nodded at the man. “How are you?”

“Fine, thank you,” Scott politely answered. Instead of smiling, though, he eyed Jayden with barely veiled curiosity as if he were a rare, precious diamond.

Jayden adjusted his clothes, feeling a bit uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

“Come, join us…,” Matt invited him, and Jayden didn’t need to be asked twice.

He quickly grabbed some food from the buffet, taking his seat at the table. He held the coffee mug in his hands, letting the warm liquid give him some comfort before he raised the cup, drinking deeply.

He didn’t want to stare—that would’ve been rude, after all—but he was only human, so he couldn’t resist listening with half an ear. Besides, if they had really wanted to keep their conversation private, they shouldn’t have talked right next to him.

What fascinated him the most, though, was their body language. He was by no means an expert, but he was still able to draw a few conclusions from his observations.

Matt’s arm was casually flung across the back of Scott’s chair, so clearly they didn’t have any qualms about being in each other’s space. Men, in Jayden’s opinion, tended to always keep their distance, unlike women, who were much more likely to hug complete strangers.

Scott wasn’t inching away, either, but leaning toward Matt, talking animatedly with his hands.

They were good friends, at least, maybe even lovers.

Rope wrapped itself around his heart, squeezing tightly. He quickly distracted himself by taking a huge bite of his toast, and he must’ve been quite successful in blocking them out, because he nearly jumped out of his skin when Matt suddenly appeared by his side, casually leaning against his table. Matt placed his hand on Jayden’s arm; the touch was fleeting, just a way to get his attention, but it still sizzled and burnt like fire.

Jayden looked up, dropping his piece of bread onto the plate.

 “I’ve got us theater tickets for tonight,” Matt informed him.

“You… what?” Jayden stuttered because he hadn’t expected Matt to take him to the theater. Wasn’t that for cultured people? And Matt seemed more like someone who would enjoy a good party or sitting for hours at a bar. He didn’t strike him as someone
who went to the theater
, but then again, what did Jayden know, right?

“Theater tickets,” Matt repeated. “Have you ever been before?

“Uhm…,” Jayden hedged, quickly breaking eye contact, fiddling with the napkin. “No?”

“Would you like to go, then?”

A wide smile broke out on Jayden’s face, and he nodded eagerly.

“All right, then.” This time Matt squeezed his shoulder, pushing himself up from the table. “I’ll pick you up at seven, then.”

“Of course. I’ll be ready.”

He watched as Matt and Scott left together, how they casually fell into an easy step. Only when the door closed behind the two men did Jayden allow himself a little huff of displeasure.

He stabbed at the bacon on his plate as if it was offending him.

“Get a grip,” he mumbled. “This is a job. Nothing more.”

He passed the day in his usual fashion, and when it was time to get ready for the night’s entertainment, he dressed with extra care. With only a few minutes to spare, he headed downstairs to wait by the door. He had no clue if Matt was home or not, but his question was answered when he passed the parlor.

Voices drifted through the small opening in the door, and at first Jayden had no intention of stopping or even listening. He came to halt when he heard his name being mentioned. It might be bad form to listen to other people’s conversations, but in the end, curiosity won out.

“Jayden seems nice.” Scott’s voice drifted out into the hallway.